Bessenger invited to present at Northwestern University conference

Suzanne Bessenger

Suzanne Bessenger, professor of comparative philosophy, has been accepted to participate in a conference at Northwestern University next month. 

Bessenger will present her research and translation of the sacred biography of 14th century Tibetan female Buddhist saint, Sönam Peldren, during the Second Lotsawa Translation Workshop: Celebrating Buddhist Women’s Voices in the Tibetan Tradition, set to run from Oct. 13-16. 

The conference will explore the many issues around translating the voices and experiences of Buddhist women from Tibetan sources into English, focusing on a diverse array of texts by and about women across time periods and genres—from classical Buddhist texts to modern Tibetan women’s writings.

It was inspired by the largest-ever compilation of writings by and about Buddhist women, the Ḍākinīs’ Great Dharma Treasury, which was published in 53 Tibetan volumes in 2017.